"Proof of Intimacy"

Rete wrote several prescriptions for Lu Mi with mixed feelings.

"The medicines in these prescriptions all help replenish yang energy, but you'll need to arrange for someone to purchase the ingredients yourself, Warden Lu."

Buying anything on Calamity Planet was inconvenient.

However, as the warden of First Prison, Lu Mi had channels for having people bring in supplies.

Lu Mi accepted the prescriptions, and Rete swiftly stuffed a small plastic bag into his hand.

"And this too, Warden Lu... Open it after you return to your Rest Cabin. I absolutely won't help you use it! There are instructions inside."

Lu Mi gave Rete a suspicious look but did not ask further.

Rete was dependable. In Lu Mi's eyes, he was a mature, steady, proper doctor.

Lu Mi tucked the items into his pocket, then said after some thought, "Rete, there's something wrong with Yu Tu's condition."

Lu Mi had already vaguely sensed it before.

But Calamity Planet's harsh weather, coupled with Yu Tu's overwritten memories, gave his irritability a reasonable explanation.

Yet today, when Yu Tu had pinned him to the floor in Cell 05 and rubbed him raw like a madman, that feeling had grown even stronger.

Yu Tu's condition definitely could not be explained by "losing his memories," "having his Energy Crystal removed," "being thrown in prison," and "not adjusting to the environment."

Rete asked, "What do you mean?"

Lu Mi briefly considered his wording.

"Yu Tu now... has terrifyingly limitless demands."

Lu Mi took a deep breath.

"Throughout the whole process, rather than seeming like a person, he was more like a beast acting entirely on instinct, without the slightest reason.

I even felt... that in his eyes, I was nothing more than an object for him to vent on."

Rete: "..."

OMG!

What had he just heard?

Was it too late to cover his ears now?

Why did he have to hear this?

Sob, Mother, I was no longer pure!

Rete kept a calm expression despite the chaos in his heart. "So?"

"So I wanted to ask whether there is any way for a Diamond-grade Energy Master... to undergo such a change."

Rete frowned.

"You mean physical modification? But because Diamond-grade Energy Masters possess such powerful origins, they are extremely resistant to external interference. Therefore, there has not yet been a successful case anywhere in the interstellar realm of a Diamond-grade Energy Master being physically modified."

If ordinary people lost an arm or leg, current interstellar technology could install mechanical limbs for them and even make those limbs work in sync with the brain's thoughts. But Diamond-grade Energy Masters were different.

"A case like Commander Yu Tu's... I've seen similar ones.

Some people, in order to satisfy their selfish desires, use drugs to modify people's bodies and cultivate exclusive slaves.

Excessive use of those drugs can make them violent and lose control. Even if such people were lucky enough to survive in the end, they became useless.

And if those drugs are used on Energy Masters, the stronger the Energy Master's rank, the less effect the drugs have on them, and the shorter the drugs remain in their bodies.

It took at least half a month to escort Commander Yu Tu from Blue Star to Calamity Planet. Even if there really were drugs in his system, they would have long since been metabolized and broken down."

As for the possibility that the escorting officer had tampered with him upon his arrival at Calamity Planet, Rete did not consider it at all.

Unless the escorting officer had been in a hurry to die.

"Of course, there is one other possibility—"

Rete suddenly stared directly into Lu Mi's eyes, his expression exceptionally grave.

Lu Mi's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"An alchemist. An alchemist may have developed a drug capable of making a Diamond-grade Energy Master lose control.

Warden Lu, my suggestion is that you seek confirmation from Lord Lan regarding Commander Yu Tu's condition."

Lu Mi took a deep breath. "That's the only thing I can do."

—

Lu Mi left First Prison and returned to his own Warden's Rest Cabin.

The moment he entered the Rest Cabin, he was met with terrible news!

He had left in too much of a hurry today and forgotten to put the cat teaser wands back where they belonged!

Several cat teaser wands that he had pinned beneath the bookshelf were already dead beyond salvation, reduced to shattered wood chips, shredded string balls, and torn fluff scattered across the floor.

"Black Shadow! Get your ass out here!"

The Rest Cabin was silent. Lu Mi took a deep breath and, following the connection between owner and pet mech, accurately found Black Shadow in a corner.

Hah, it even knew how to disguise itself.

Its huge body was buried in the clutter, but its enormous metal butt had been left sticking out.

Lu Mi kicked it.

Black Shadow let out an "Awoo!" and emerged while clutching its head.

"You damned thing! Didn't I warn you not to touch my cat teaser wands?"

"Awoo!"

"Why are you pretending to be pitiful? Do you have it worse than I do? Do you know how long I saved up for those? And you chewed every last one to pieces?"

With a cold face, Lu Mi announced its punishment.

"You're not allowed to sleep beside me tonight."

A pet mech's energy came from a Diamond-grade Energy Master's Energy Origin. As long as it slept near its owner, it could "recharge."

The closer it was to its owner, the faster it "recharged."

For the hard-bodied Black Shadow, this really did count as punishment.

"AWOOO!!!"

Lu Mi sneered. "Stop pretending to be pitiful. It won't work."

Could it possibly be more pitiful than his dead cat teaser wands?

One of them had even been a golden-feather cat teaser wand that he had collected for ages and taken out to play with for the first time today. It was hard to come by! A limited edition Meow-Meow Cat Toy released last year! Even throwing money at it now would not get him another one!

Lu Mi raised a hand and took off his clothes.

Black Shadow, which had looked pitiful just a second ago, immediately let out a terrifying low "Awoo" when it saw the state of his body.

Lu Mi glanced sideways at it.

Owners and pet mechs were linked in mind, and pet mechs could sense when their owners were in danger.

But when he had been with Yu Tu, Lu Mi had cut off his connection with Black Shadow.

So Black Shadow had not known that he was injured.

Now, Black Shadow was cursing someone out, clamoring to bite the bastard who had hurt its beloved owner into scraps!

Lu Mi curled his lips.

"Stop howling. Yu Tu did this.

Mm... Yes, that Yu Tu—the one you wanted to snuggle with, but who ignored you.

Just now, he snuggled with me. He got a little too carried away, so he left some marks."

Black Shadow stopped growling. Although it was a mechanical mech incapable of subtle expressions, it somehow managed to convey a sense of utter blankness.

Lu Mi felt thoroughly delighted. He bent slightly, stared into Black Shadow's eyes, and grinned.

"This is proof of intimacy.

You~ don't~ have any! Hah!"

Lu Mi turned and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Outside the bathroom...

Black Shadow remained frozen for a while longer, then abruptly rolled over and sprawled on the floor, all four limbs flailing furiously in the air.

Its metal mouth kept going, "Awoo, awoo, awoo!"

Inside the bathroom.

Lu Mi sneered, but as he took off his pants, he suddenly remembered the little bag Rete had given him.

He took it out and opened it.

It was a tube of ointment.

"Wash your hands before use..."

"Put on the finger cot..."

"Carefully squeeze it inside..."

"Apply it to the wound..."

"Three times daily..."

"No spicy food after use... No sex."

After reading it, Lu Mi's face darkened.

Rete, what the hell had you misunderstood?!